When I was about 19 years old, I was asked to go camping in the Everglades by my husband at the time. Now, 19 year old Jenna wanted nothing to do with the outdoors and she damn sure did not want to sleep outside with the alligators. I could not have been more scared but I sucked it up & survived that camping trip so long ago. I had no desire to ever return. It had always been such an untamed world in my mind. Dangerous. I could not even understand why people wanted to go there. The bugs alone should keep people away.
As I have gotten older I have gone through many changes in life. I went from a young lady that could not be outside for too long because it was too hot & dirty, to a woman who plays in the dirt for a living & can’t stay inside unless it’s raining. It’s funny how life changes through the years.
Now that I want to explore all of the outside world, well most of it, the Everglades was suddenly at the top of my to visit list. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to see, I just knew I needed to go. Quin & I hit the road & let it be our guide. We stopped at the visitors center & got some great information on easy hikes. On our hikes we were able to see such beautiful land, undisturbed. There were so many plants I had never seen before. The landscape was so unique. I loved it there. We saw everything we could see on land and almost took a boat tour but the timing did not work in our favor.
The one thing I wanted to see the most was a crocodile. I had never seen one before and when I heard they were around I just knew I needed to find one. We looked all over the marina and enlisted the help of a worker. We thought we spotted one but it turned out to be a gator, which was very rare in the part of the park we were at. Just when I was ready to give up Quin tried one more place & there it was! Just soaking up the sun on the boat ramp. It was so amazing. So calm & cool. My day was complete.
Everglades National Park: there is also a National Parks app that I have on my phone that tells you where all of the trails are located and all other important information.